UC Berkeley students seek to ban Salvation Army

A controversy is brewing at the UC Berkeley campus -- students there say they want to ban the Salvation Army.

The student government recently passed a resolution banning the charity from collecting any type of donation on campus.

They accuse the Salvation Army of being anti-gay, saying they discriminate against gay and lesbian persons in their soup kitchens and off-campus, and have tried to prevent federal funding from going to LGBT causes.

Students on campus told ABC7 News they have mixed feelings about this.

"My family and I always send stuff to the Salvation Army, so we've been kind of supportive of that," student Chathra Batageri said. "But I didn't know that they were anti-gay, homophobic. So that kind of makes it questionable."

Fellow student Nick Helbig adds, "Donating to the Salvation Army doesn't mean that you're prejudiced against gays and lesbians, it just means that you want to help people."

In response, the Salvation Army issued a statement that reads, "The Salvation Army believes all people are equal regardless of sexual orientation. We firmly oppose mistreatment of LGBT persons."

The Salvation Army also told ABC7 News that it does not do any bell-ringing on campus or anywhere without permission.

The Cal student government would like a complete, outright ban of the Salvation Army in the future. UC Berkeley is considering that.